Spain. The Dispute Resolution Review
Spain is a non-denominational, social, democratic and sovereign state governed by the rule of law, which advocates freedom, justice, equality and political pluralism as higher values of its legal system.
Spain’s government is a parliamentary monarchy. It has been a Member State of the European Communities since 1986 and the European Union since 1993. Its territory is divided into 17 autonomous regions and two autonomous cities. Some of these regions have significant legal peculiarities.
The Spanish system is a civil law system. Its guiding principles are the principle of the rule of law, normative order, the publication of regulations, the non-retroactivity of punitive provisions that are unfavourable to or restrictive of individual rights, legal certainty and accountability, and prohibition of bias for public powers.